A change in the parameters of the Pembina Valley Watershed District made for a very busy year for Manager, Cliff Greenfield and his staff. Greenfield says covering a larger area was just one of the factors that made for an eventful 2021.

“We were incredibly busy because we recently have undergone a change in our boundaries and a real boost in our funding through different programs,” he explains. “One example of that is the ‘Grow Program’ through the Conservation Trust. So, we’ve been tremendously busy but its all good. We’re able to do more work; work with more producers and really do a lot more to improve the health of the watersheds.”

The Pembina Valley Watershed District covers a large area focused on the Pembina River and the Plum River watershed areas.

Wind and water erosion, loss of fertile topsoil, and water shortages are key issues.

The organization provides technical and financial assistance to local landowners participating in soil and water conservation programming such as water retention and small dams, grassed waterways, abandoned well sealing, water testing, forage and salinity seed, gully and streambank stabilization, tree planting, public education and wildlife habitat preservation.

Greenfield says extreme weather systems puts more emphasis on the work that their organization does. “Dealing with climate change and the more erratic weather, we’re doing some modeling that is kind of incorporating that thinking in terms of more intense storms and more impact on the land.”

An expansion of their catchment area to the east spreads their parameters to the Red River.

“As of April 1st, we’re going to be right from Boissevain to the Red River, and we’re going to cover the Pembina River watershed and the Plum River, covering the Pembina River Watershed on the Canadian portion and then the Plum River watershed to the east. The Pembina and the Plum are connected with overflows from the Pembina in that far-eastern area that definitely has some issues.”

Access to government funding is a draw for landowners in the central region of the province to partner with the Pembina Valley Watershed District. “The funding is very attractive. We have access to this Grow funding which is basically funding with which we can partner with producers and improve their farms and improve the health of the watershed through that.”

“It’s definitely significant funding and its enough funding to make a difference. We can work with producers from Boissevain to the Red River, and in a short period of time we should see improvements in water quality and the sustainability of farms,” he adds.